Prior to forming The Midnight, Tyler Lyle and Tim McEwan were both established musicians. Lyle was an indie-folk singer-songwriter based in the state of Georgia and gained initial notability with several self-released titles, becoming regionally and nationally known. McEwan was a drummer and producer based in Denmark, later becoming a member of the Danish production group Deekay who has written and produced songs for many popular artists.
The pair met for the first time in 2012 at a songwriter’s workshop in North Hollywood organized by Katie Donovan, Lyle’s A&R representative at the time. Prior to meeting, McEwan had listened to some of Lyle’s previous work and liked Lyle’s folk sound. Despite differing musical backgrounds, they bonded over a mutual love of 80s rock and began to write songs together. After initially struggling to define their sound, McEwan suggested that they compose songs in the synthwave style. McEwan had prior exposure to the burgeoning genre and was inspired by the movie Drive. The first song they wrote together as a duo was WeMoveForward, which was included on their debut EP Days of Thunder.
STYLE AND WORKFLOW
For most of their career, The Midnight has created a strong and distinct synthwave sound in their music - Tim McEwan once described the band's early albums “as if Miami Vice had a baby with a John Hughes movie”. However, McEwan has continuously expressed a desire to evolve the synthwave genre and not be confined by it. Tyler Lyle has stated several times that the band's philosophy when composing is “combine, not confine”. Influences of genres such as lo-fi, soft rock, trance, and vaporwave can be heard on Monsters, and Lyle's musical background has brought influences of indie folk and Americana to the band's sound as well. Regarding the merging of their individual talents and styles, Lyle has said:
It’s rock and roll with synthesizers. Tim has a keen ear for production, and I can write songs that fit comfortably within the tradition of 20th century classic pop songwriting. Somewhere in the middle things get interesting.
McEwan employs various digital synths in his production, including Serum, Diva, TAL-U-NO-LX, Spire, and Roland Cloud's Jupiter 8 and Juno 106. In mid-2020, he mentioned that his favorite synth to use at the time was U-He's emulation of Prophet-5, known as Repro 5. McEwan has stated that he commonly begins with presets and then tweaks them to his liking. KONTAKT is used for sampling.
Both McEwan and Lyle use Logic Pro on macOS as their primary Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).Universal Audio interfaces are used to capture their sounds, which are then processed using UAD plugins. Using the same utilities makes it easier for them to share session files as a significant amount of their work is done remotely, due to living in different areas of the US. However, they will usually get together in the same room a few times during a release's production and will often write and record together while on tour. A release's sound and overall direction are generally created by the two bouncing ideas off each other - McEwan will send Lyle a rough track or beat, which Lyle will then think of lyrics and a title that would go good with the beat, after which McEwan will further build and produce the track. McEwan has stated that the production of a typical The Midnight album takes around three to six months, “from the early gestating part to finish”.
Production and drums are handled by McEwan, with Lyle providing guitar, lyrics, and vocals. Lyle has stated that he writes on a daily basis, and many lyrics come from a large number of fragments he keeps stored in Evernote. Most of the remaining instrumentation is digital, but on occasion songs (including most with saxophone and guitar solos) will at first have digital instruments that are then outsourced to other musicians to play live on the track. Thomas Edinger has been the primary saxophone player for The Midnight's releases, and McEwan's brother Oliver has frequently played bass for the band as well.
For live performances, various setups have been used by the band. Lyle stated that the Spring 2019 tour utilized an Ableton rig, with McEwan using an SPD SX sampling pad and MIDI controller. Lyle ran his guitars through a Kemper profiling amp, and he also used an OP1 for certain synth moments and pads.
Monsters
The Midnight Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stitched the seams and pull the lever
Strange desires, sparks and wires
I signed the dotted line
That tethered yours to mine
No anesthetic for hearts electric
parts start to decay
When just your shadow half remains
And the part of you that died
I'll carry all my life
Lover's slowly decomposing so it goes
It could have been paradise
We could have had diamond eyes
I held so tight that I lost her
We could have been fireflies
But that fire died, dead and gone
I was wrong love's a con
I'm a monster (monsters)
Monsters
Monsters
Hope lingers on
After the one you love is gone
Thought I smelled your ghost
In my winter coat
And our love became a void
Another echo in the noise
I can't erase what we became
It could have been Paradise
Could have been you and I
I played the fool
And you played the martyr
We could have been fireflies
But some fires die
I meant no harm
we were both wrong
Moving on
I'm a monster (monsters)
Monsters
Monsters
The Midnight Jupiter Winter's song "Monsters" is a melancholic piece that explores the aftermath of a failed relationship. The lyrics illustrate the emotional turmoil the singer experiences, as they reflect on their relationship that blossomed with "strange desires, sparks, and wires" but with time, started to decompose, leaving them with just a part of it, which they will carry all their life. The song captures the pain of losing someone you loved and how coping with that loss can be haunting. The lyrics, "Hope lingers on, after the one you love is gone, thought I smelled your ghost in my winter coat, and our love became a void, another echo in the noise," show how memories can trigger emotions of sadness, and how love can become just a hollow memory.
As the song progresses, the singer laments missed opportunities and a love that could have been "paradise" with "diamond eyes," and how they held on too tight and lost everything. They blame themselves for the failure of the relationship, and in the end, admit to being a "monster." The metaphor suggests that the singer has become a creature of despair, a monster of regret and an anti-hero who could not keep love alive.
Overall, the song Monsters is a painfully honest reflection on the experience of loss, regret and the human tendency to complicate relationships. It portrays love as something that can die if not attended to, haunting one's memories and leaving one feeling like a monster.
Line by Line Meaning
Put two beating hearts together
Combining the love of two people
Stitched the seams and pull the lever
Making the relationship official, taking action
Strange desires, sparks and wires
The intensity and unpredictability of love
I signed the dotted line
Committing to the relationship legally
That tethered yours to mine
Binding the two hearts together
No anesthetic for hearts electric
The pain of love when it fails
parts start to decay
The love starts to fade away
When just your shadow half remains
The remnants of love left behind
The operation had complications
The relationship didn't work out
And the part of you that died
The part of you that was lost in the breakup
I'll carry all my life
The memories and pain will persist
Lover's slowly decomposing so it goes
Love fades away with time
It could have been paradise
The relationship had potential for greatness
We could have had diamond eyes
Our love could have shone bright
I held so tight that I lost her
I was too possessive and drove her away
We could have been fireflies
Our love could have been full of life and light
But that fire died, dead and gone
Our love faded away
I was wrong love's a con
I was mistaken to believe in love
I'm a monster (monsters)
The pain and sorrow of lost love has turned me into a monster
Hope lingers on
Despite the pain, there is still hope
After the one you love is gone
After the loss of love
Thought I smelled your ghost
The lingering memories of lost love
In my winter coat
A reminder of the past
And our love became a void
The love we had is now empty
Another echo in the noise
Lost love is just another sound in the background
I can't erase what we became
The memories of lost love cannot be erased
Could have been you and I
The relationship had potential
I played the fool
My mistakes led to the downfall of love
And you played the martyr
Your self-sacrificing ways did not help our love
Moving on
Despite the pain, it's time to move on
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Tim Daniel McEwan, Tyler Lyle, Lelia Broussard, Royce Whittaker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@abcustomzz1468
Put two beating hearts together
Stitched the seams and pull the lever
Strange desires, sparks and wires
I signed the dotted line
That tethered yours to mine
No anesthetic for hearts electric
Parts start to decay
When just your shadow half remains
The operation had complications
And the part of you that died
I'll carry all my life
Lovers slowly decomposing
So it goes
It could've been paradise
It could've had diamond eyes
I held so tight that I lost her
We could've been fireflies
But that fire died
Dead and gone
I was wrong
Love's a con
I'm a monster
Monsters X3
JUPITER WINTER
Hope lingers on
After the one you love is gone
Thought I smelled your ghost in my winter coat
And our love became a void
Another echo in the noise
I can't erase what we became
It could've been paradise
Could've been you and I
I played the fool
And you played the martyr
We could have been fireflies
But some fires die
I meant no harm
We were both wrong
Moving on
I'm a monster
Monsters X3
@Ajay4kay
Holy crap, that “monsters” beat drop....no words...
@InSaN3ViSioN
Sounded better live at the concert last year
@LRBeforeTheInternet
@@InSaN3ViSioN You're not desperately trying to get some pointless recognition! LOL :)
@SuperNils666
Sounds a bit like The Chainsmokers lmao
@verylastangel
@@InSaN3ViSioN it def hit harder live
@TheLucca05
Best thing I've ever heard today
@prognition970
“And the part of you that died, I’ll carry all my life” that line is exactly why I listen to you guys. Absolute feels
@jessepushor9967
w
@abcustomzz1468
Put two beating hearts together
Stitched the seams and pull the lever
Strange desires, sparks and wires
I signed the dotted line
That tethered yours to mine
No anesthetic for hearts electric
Parts start to decay
When just your shadow half remains
The operation had complications
And the part of you that died
I'll carry all my life
Lovers slowly decomposing
So it goes
It could've been paradise
It could've had diamond eyes
I held so tight that I lost her
We could've been fireflies
But that fire died
Dead and gone
I was wrong
Love's a con
I'm a monster
Monsters X3
JUPITER WINTER
Hope lingers on
After the one you love is gone
Thought I smelled your ghost in my winter coat
And our love became a void
Another echo in the noise
I can't erase what we became
It could've been paradise
Could've been you and I
I played the fool
And you played the martyr
We could have been fireflies
But some fires die
I meant no harm
We were both wrong
Moving on
I'm a monster
Monsters X3
@Bogeyatyour6YT
Holy shit, this is good...